What do you think?
Rate this book
One Step at a Time
One Step at a Time is a story about a boy, a baby elephant and a landmine.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2015
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 13, 2018
Australian notable book.
June 18, 2016
I confess that I wasn't really sure how a children's picture book about the landmine issue in Southeast Asia was going to work. And after my first reading of One Step At A Time, I was still somewhat doubtful. But several readings later, with some time for it to sit and work its magic, I have come to admire this picture book and it's aims a lot.
But it's a difficult topic to get just right in picture book format.
Heinrich's hand coloured lino cut prints are wonderful. I love her choice of colour palette, her use of borders and the sense of depth and texture in each block.
Each page is a work of art.
The story begins with one small step, followed by an act of violence - an image that we are spared as the violence occurs behind a black double page with a loud BOOM! splashed across it.
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
But it's a difficult topic to get just right in picture book format.
Heinrich's hand coloured lino cut prints are wonderful. I love her choice of colour palette, her use of borders and the sense of depth and texture in each block.
Each page is a work of art.
The story begins with one small step, followed by an act of violence - an image that we are spared as the violence occurs behind a black double page with a loud BOOM! splashed across it.
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
September 18, 2016
Great surprise ending.
April 29, 2024
Who knew one wrong step could change your world- literally. This book centers on a young boy named Luk and his elephant friend Mali. After Mali steps on a landmine in the forest, she loses a leg and learns how to live without one. The major themes in this book were resilience and friendship. Mali struggles to learn how to live with three legs and then later with a prosthetic. With Luks's support and the town's prayers, Mali is met with good results. The main genre of this book is contemporary realistic fiction. Children reading this book can learn the importance of supporting others when times get tough. When someone is struggling is it crucial that the person has someone to rely on for support. Another thing children can learn from this story is to realize the impact landmines have on everyday people in Southeast Asia. This book was a WOW book for me because I learned the importance of how landmines have overtaken everyday livelihoods. The unfortunate reality is that there are 70 million landmines in southeast Asia and innocent animals and humans are affected by it every day. The beautiful illustrations captured the emotions and cultural setting of the story. It made me go ‘WOW’ when the last page shared a picture of Luk and Mali, both with prosthetic legs. This book does a great job telling a story about a sensitive topic, bringing awareness, and making it a valuable resource for children to learn from.
A literary device used heavily was the use of imagery. The illustrations were vivid and helped bring the emotions out of the book. From Mali’s pain to the town's hopes and prayers, the illustrations helped picture the setting and the character's experiences. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it does not portray any harmful norms of Thailand culture.
A literary device used heavily was the use of imagery. The illustrations were vivid and helped bring the emotions out of the book. From Mali’s pain to the town's hopes and prayers, the illustrations helped picture the setting and the character's experiences. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it does not portray any harmful norms of Thailand culture.
September 12, 2017
Unpopular opinion ahead - I didn't love this book. A picture book about landmines was never going to be easy to pull off. I think, in order to prevent offending anyone or upsetting children, Jane Jolly has sanitised the issue too much. We're shown the immediate aftermath of a landmine blast that supposedly takes an elephant's leg, and yet somehow the entire book is completely bloodless. Looking solely at the (beautiful) linocut images, it's possible to make it to the last couple of pages thinking the elephant has sustained nothing more serious than a slight sunburn.
A grazed knee is more confronting than this story.
A grazed knee is more confronting than this story.
March 1, 2020
A very clever and tastefully done story about the reality of landmines. With a wonderful symbiosis between text and illustrations, we learn that both elephant and boy have lost a leg. However, the plight of the boy is mostly hinted at with foreshadowing.
Heinrich's illustrations are rich and purposeful. So much is said about the silence and shock after an explosion with having blacked out pages.
I highly recommend this story to show children a view of life that is different from their own!
Heinrich's illustrations are rich and purposeful. So much is said about the silence and shock after an explosion with having blacked out pages.
I highly recommend this story to show children a view of life that is different from their own!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2017
Una historia directa, realista, pero entrañable y amorosa.
July 17, 2016
Heartfelt story, melodic language, divine illustrations. A read that is enjoyable and very special.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews